Emphasis vs Focus Tomato
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Emphasis
This app helps users achieve deep work by providing customizable focus intervals and ambient soundscapes. It tracks your focus progress and offers personalized statistics to help you reclaim your time from distractions.
- Customizable focus intervals
- Ambient background sounds
- Focus-O-Meter for distraction tracking
- Personalized progress statistics
- Cloud sync across devices
- Highly customizable sessions
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You sit down to work. 40 seconds later, your hand is already reaching for your phone. Familiar? You’re not lazy. Modern life is engineered for distraction, and trying to force yourself to focus through sheer willpower simply doesn't work. Emphasis doesn’t force you to fight your own brain. One tap, a gentle ambient sound, a steady rhythm—and you’re already in a session. Ended a focus block after 12 minutes instead of 25? That’s 12 minutes of deep work you didn't have before. In Emphasis, every minute counts. 4.7 · 20,000+ reviews · Lightweight at just 75 MB Whether you’re navigating an ADHD brain, tackling a heavy study load, or trying to find clarity in a chaotic work week, Emphasis is a sanctuary from the digital noise. We took the science of the Pomodoro technique and turned it into a gentle, intentional rhythm that respects your natural energy levels. DESIGNED FOR YOUR FLOW STATE: * Immersive Sonic Spaces: Silence background distractions with curated ambient soundscapes. From subtle rhythmic pulses to meditative nature tones, create an environment where getting started feels effortless. * The Focus-O-Meter: Awareness is the first step to change. Select the apps that pull you away from your work and watch your Focus-O-Meter rise as you choose presence over the scroll. It’s not about restriction—it’s about reclaiming the time that belongs to you. * Tailored Focus Blueprints: No two brains work the same. Our onboarding learns your workflow needs from the start, letting you fully customize your session lengths and restorative breaks to prevent burnout before it begins. * Progress, Not Perfection: Focus is a practice, not a destination. Use beautiful, minimalist progress charts and calendar stats to recognize your personal patterns of success and celebrate your consistency. * Apple Ecosystem Sync: Your focus journey shouldn't be tied to one desk. Emphasis syncs seamlessly across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch to keep your rhythm steady wherever you go. At just 75 MB, Emphasis won’t bloat your device, but it will help clear your mind. Join thousands of us who are choosing a kinder, more intentional way to live and work. Download Emphasis today and let’s find your rhythm together. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Focus Tomato
This app helps you stay focused and productive using a modified Pomodoro technique. It guides you through focused work intervals and short breaks, with features to prevent distractions and allow flexibility in your work sessions.
- Goal setting and breaking down tasks
- 25-minute focus intervals
- 5-minute rest periods
- Extended breaks after 4 cycles
- Flexible timer duration
- Do Not Disturb mode
- Integrates with other productivity tools
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## App Of The Day - Apple ## New Apps We Love - Apple ## Try These Out - Apple ## Student App of the Month - The App Brewery (London) Focus Tomato is a serious tomato helping you stay focused. Cheer you up when you succeed. —— Recommended consuming order —— Step 1: Goal setting If the goal is too big, break it down. Step 2: only focus for 25 minutes * Only focus on one thing * Avoid distraction; make efforts to keep the Tomato running (ex. if someone hits you up, tell him/her getting back to you shortly!) * Better to watch the timer counting Step 3: Rest for 5 minutes * Not suitable for mental consuming tasks * Light activities that are good for your mind and body * Pause your work momentarily can help you view things from another perspective and avoid couldn't see the forests for the trees. Step 4: Repeat 4 times, then take a more extended rest for 15 to 30 minutes Repeat the previous two steps for 4 times, and take a 15 to 30 minutes long rest —— After taking it, you can gain the following benefits on top of straight As —— * Prevent distracting and stay focused more easily: counting down timer brings good stress * Reduce interruptions: postpone other tasks; most things can wait for 25 minutes * Avoid procrastinating: when the timer is running, it means the declaration of a focused time frame * Endure longer: with adequate rest, you can run further —— Features of “Focus Tomato” —— Based on the Pomodoro method with new spice-ups and improvements. * Do not force stop; keep the flow Classical Promodoro clock asks you to stop working asap when time is up; Focus Tomato only notifies you with sound and does not force you to stop. You can keep staying in the zone and running the timer. * Fractional time is allowed Classical Promodoro clock requires to maintain 25 minutes duration. Focus Tomato freely lets you count the fractional time as long as it starts running. * Modifiable Timeline It is usual to forget to stop the timer. Focus Tomato allows you to modify the Timeline and make adjustments afterward. * Do Not Disturb mode is available Distracted by too many notifications? Do Not Disturb mode can be enabled when Focus Tomato is running. * Integrate smoothly with other work methods and/or apps Because the app only applies the timing part of the Promodoro technique, in addition to the original Promodoro method, you can also use the Reminder, Trello, or physical notebooks along with it. Good tomato, why not eat it?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Focus Tomato at 4.9 against Emphasis's 4.7. Focus Tomato also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 84%). Emphasis's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Emphasis sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month and Focus Tomato sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Focus Tomato holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Emphasis's written reviews are positive against 95% of Focus Tomato's.
Emphasis ships an update fortnightly, Focus Tomato monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Emphasis | Focus Tomato |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.1K ratings) | 4.9 (1.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.9% of reviews | 95.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | 1.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 132 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Aleksandr Fiodorov | CHIH-SHAN LIU |
Customer experience
Emphasis
Focus Tomato
User reviews
Emphasis
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Minimalistic and simple design
- 👍 Customizable timer settings
- 💡 Helpful for productivity and focus
- 🚀 Sleek and intuitive interface
- 👍 Visually appealing countdown timer
Room to improve
- 🔒 Subscription model required for full features
- 🐛 Sync and login issues
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes after updates
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications and alerts
Focus Tomato
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and lovely design
- 🙏 Motivational messages
- 🙌 Customizable focus and break times
- 🎨 Vintage-style illustrations
- 🔊 Variety of ambient sounds
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs with sound effects and notifications
- 🔍 Lack of advanced features like tags or categories
- 📱 No iPad or Apple Watch support
Bugs and requests
Emphasis
Reported bugs
4 issues- Timer not working correctly after breaks
- Task lists not saving properly
- App crashing on launch for some users
- Sync issues causing data loss
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to track individual tasks and time spent
- Landscape mode support
- Apple Watch app integration
- More color theme options
- Improved statistics and progress tracking
Focus Tomato
Reported bugs
2 issues- Upgrade didn't work as expected
- Timer stops when switching to other apps
Requested features
4 requests- Add a dark mode option
- Implement a widget for quick access
- Introduce a leaderboard or progress tracking
- Allow syncing across devices
In-app purchases
Emphasis
- Emphasis Premium Subscription$3.491 Month
- Emphasis Premium Subscription$4.991 Month
- Premium Feature (Yearly Promo)$12.991 Year
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- Emphasis Premium Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Lifetime premium$29.99
- Lifetime premium$59.99
Focus Tomato
- Tomato King$4.99








